Acclaimed theatre director, scholar and arts administrator Chidambara Rao Jambe, fondly known as Jambe in theatre circles, passed away in Sagara Taluk on Saturday afternoon at the age of 77.After training in Yakshagana and graduating from the National School of Drama (NSD), Jambe served as the principal of Ninasam Theatre Institute for over two decades, director of Rangayana in Mysuru and head of the NSD Bengaluru Centre and Sanehalli drama school. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Karnataka Rajyotsava and Karnataka Nataka Academy Awards, he directed over 100 productions, including Taledanda, Cherry Hannina Thota, Loka Shakuntala and Chanakya Prapancha, all known for their strong design and visual sensibilities.‘He brought discipline, but also love’For theatre director and filmmaker B Suresha, who entered the theatre field in the early 1980s, Jambe was already an influential presence. “When I entered my theatre career, he was the principal of Ninasam. The first repertory he directed had plays that remained memorable forever, including Loka Shakuntala,” he recalls.Suresha says Jambe’s greatest strength lay in bringing a value-based discipline to theatre. “A play is performed in accordance with a discipline. But it is not just a disciplined structure; it is value-based discipline, which Jambe brought into theatre. That value brings a lot of new energy into every play,” he says.‘He could bring a broken family together’Beyond directing, Jambe was known for building institutions and nurturing theatre practitioners. “With all his love, he was able to bring people in theatre and broken institutions together. There is a photograph of some students hugging him — if you look at it, you will know what kind of love he gave his students, the institutions and teams he worked with,” Suresha says. “After BV Karanth and Girish Karnad, Jambe will be remembered for a long time in Kannada and Indian theatre,” he adds.
